NBA has soph spot for Jazz duo

One starts but typically does not finish. The other doesn't even start.

But that didn't keep Jazz guard Ronnie Brewer and forward Paul Millsap from being named Wednesday to take part in the NBA's annual rookie-sophomore challenge game, part of the league's upcoming All-Star Weekend in New Orleans.

Both will play in the Feb. 15 TNT-televised game for the sophomore team, which also includes Portland teammates Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge, Toronto's Andrea Bargnani, Jordan Farmar of the Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis' Rudy Gay, Cleveland's Daniel Gibson and Boston's Rajon Rondo.

The fact Millsap and Brewer — who scored 15 and 10 points, respectively, in Utah's 100-89 victory over New York on Wednesday — are being honored while still having to battle for playing time on their own club is not lost on Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, who makes no apologies for the way he's used either.

"Paul has just been in the unfortunate position of playing behind (Carlos) Boozer and Andrei (Kirilenko) some at the 4 position, so it's kind of cut his minutes," Sloan said of Millsap, who heading into Wednesday's game was averaging 20.5 minutes as the primary backup to 2007 All-Star Boozer at power forward.

"He deserves to play more minutes," Sloan added, "but it's hard to play everybody the minutes they'd like to play."

One compensation he's made, Sloan suggested, is using Millsap more against smaller lineups — something that's come at the expense of backup center Jarron Collins.

As for starting shooting guard Brewer, he typically plays most of the first and third quarters — but has not been finishing since the acquisition of new backup shooting guard Kyle Korver in a late-December trade with Philadelphia.

"I guess I could sit Korver down and not play him," Sloan snapped when asked about the situation Wednesday.

But that's not about to happen anytime soon, the Jazz coach suggested.

"Korver's playing pretty well, I think, coming off the bench," Sloan said. "He gives us a guy that can score and make shots on the perimeter, which helps our team."

Brewer, who will be making his first appearance in the rookie-sophomore game, understands.

"To me," the University of Arkansas product said, "whatever is allowing us to win I'm all about.